Week twelve has wrapped up, and we all headed back to our families to celebrate Easter. The deadline to conclude our legislative session is fast approaching, with a target finish date of April 16. This week, we’ve tackled additional legislation and topics in the Senate and reviewed appointees from Governor Reynolds, getting us one step closer to meeting our April 16 deadline.
Budget
Last Thursday, the Senate Republicans announced our budget plan for the upcoming year. We propose spending $8.872 billion from the general fund, marking a 3.74% increase from last year. This budget includes a boost of $172 million for public schools and for starting salaries of new teachers, as established by HF 2612. Additionally, it allocates $51.25 million extra for Educational Savings Accounts, totaling an extra $223.2 million for K-12 education. With nearly a quarter of a billion dollars in new funding, we’re showing our strong commitment to supporting education in Iowa.
Senate Republicans continue to advocate for cautious and conservative spending practices. Despite economic challenges nationally, Iowa maintains a solid financial position. As state revenue grows, our focus remains on ensuring responsible increases in funding for education, public safety, and healthcare. Our main concern is helping Iowa taxpayers keep more of their hard-earned money, especially as they navigate the ongoing impact of higher-than-expected inflation, which significantly strains family budgets.
HF 2612: Increased Teacher Pay
The Iowa Senate recently passed a significant increase in school funding. The bill, House File 2612, was passed on Tuesday and then signed into law by Governor Reynolds the next day. This new law raises education funding for the coming school year, includes higher salaries for teachers, and more financial support for school staff.
With this bill, starting teacher salaries in Iowa will jump to $47,500 this year and then to $50,000 next year. Teachers with at least 12 years of experience will see their minimum salary go up to $60,000 this year, and $62,000 in the future. This salary increase is the largest ever for Iowa’s teachers and places our state fifth in the country for teacher pay. Part of this bill also sets the structure for a one-time supplement to be paid to support staff (regular and part-time employees of a district who are not salaried) in schools. The support staff in the schools are critical in every classroom and deserve to be recognized and respected. This is a big step toward supporting our current teachers, attracting new ones to Iowa, and achieving our goal of making Iowa a top state for education.
The law also increases the overall funding for K-12 schools for the next fall. This is on top of the existing budget, meaning schools will get even more money to use. When you add it all up – the money for teacher salaries, support staff, helping schools with transportation costs, and special education – we’re adding over $172 million to what Iowa public schools will receive next year. This brings total education spending to around $3.8 billion for our public schools.
Part of this bill was also a comprehensive education reform package, including an update to Area Education Agencies (AEA). The AEAs were established half a century ago, receive more than half a billion dollars from taxpayers, are accountable only to themselves, and have had very little change over the years.
The final version of HF 2612, the bill reforming AEAs, empowers local schools with new options and a significant increase in control over funding for special education, media, and education services. This coming year, AEAs will retain full flow-through funding amounts for special education support services as they have for the past several decades. AEAs will also receive 40 percent of the funding for media and educational services in the first year. In year two, 100 percent of media and educational services funding will stay with the school districts. Schools may continue to use AEAs for those services, but they will have the opportunity to utilize other options in an effort to provide the best services for their teachers and students. Also starting in year two, school districts will receive all of their special education funds but be required to spend at least 90 percent with the AEA.
Ultimately this bill was a compromise between the Senate, the House, and Governor Reynolds. Many people in AEAs provide vital services for Iowa students needing special education. Nothing in this reform will threaten any aspect of the services, like speech therapy, provided to students who need it. The goal of reform in this area is to get more and better services to those students, improve their academic achievement, and make Iowa schools the best in country.
Congratulations to Senator Dan Dawson
I want to personally congratulate Senator Dan Dawson from Council Bluffs on receiving the Herbert Hoover Uncommon Public Service Award this past Wednesday. This prestigious award is handed out yearly to legislators who are nominated by the public for embodying the values of honesty, integrity, and exceptional public service that Herbert Hoover himself championed. It’s a tribute to those who exceed their legislative duties to serve the people of Iowa with distinction.
Receiving this award signifies recognition of both the personal and professional sacrifices involved in running for and serving in public office. It highlights the deep dedication Senator Dawson has shown to the state of Iowa. It’s an honor to acknowledge his hard work and the positive impact he continues to make. Congratulations, Senator Dawson, on this well-deserved award and recognition. Your admirable service is a source of inspiration for us all.
Weekend in the District
I had a fun and busy weekend in District 46. Starting on Friday, I was invited to join a panel for the Women in Agriculture Conference. The panel was centered around women in leadership and our responsibilities in promoting women in an industry that historically has been dominated by men. Outside of talking about women in leadership, we also discussed important agriculture topics that affect us all and how being a woman gives us a different perspective on these topics. Thank you to everyone that put on the event and inviting me to join the panel.
I also attended the Johnson County agribusiness breakfast with Secretary Naig. We talked about new laws that impact agribusinesses all over our state and ways we can help our farmers and the businesses that keep our agriculture sector going. Plus, I got to check out the Blue Top Ridge golf course with Representative Hora, which opens March 29th! Summer feels like it’s right around the corner!
If you have any questions about bills previously debated, issues yet to be addressed, or anything else happening at the Capitol, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Serving you at the Capitol and representing our district in the Iowa Senate is a true honor.
Senator Driscoll serves as the chair of the Agriculture Committee and also serves on the Local Government, Natural Resources and Environment, State Government, Ways and Means, and Workforce committees.